Heal Her Heart, Harry
by Diabolikal Luna
Summary: Harry's been dead for the last year or so and Luna's relationship with Ron was a blank canvas. Can Harry save her?
1. Chapter 1

**Heal Her Heart, Harry**

**Chapter 1: Don't Play Games with your Heart**

What do you do, when the one person who you thought you could love forever, turns out to be the biggest idiot in the world. What do you do, when the person you believed to be your one true soul mate, cheats you into feeling loved and then pushes you away as if you are nothing more than an object. Do you fight them for their emotions? Do you torture yourself until your life is over or do you stop the clocks, the minute he stops his affections?

How do you react, when everything you believed to be so right, turns sour? Would you put your life on hold, until someone showed you how to live again or would you perhaps just live your life until it was over and die a spinster, old and alone?

Luna Lovegood was unsure what to do, when just this happened to her but she however, did come up with a solution-- to run away. Now that I think about it, I wonder-- if someone had been there to offer her some comfort-- would she have chosen a different path to take because if you look at her, you shall see that in her eyes, there lays a pain that no one person should burden.

She only ever told one person that her heart was broken and Ginny Weasley turned out to be just as cold as her older brother, when it came to protecting his name. For you see Luna, was Ginny's best friend and I put a huge amount of emphasis on the, 'was'. Up until the summer holidays that marked her seventh year and since the beginning of their fifth year, the two girls had been inseparable.

You shouldn't allow the opposite sex to ruin your friendships; I offer this advice to anyone who reads what I am saying, as you should never underestimate the power a friend holds.

Secretly, Luna and Ronald Weasley had been dating. Oblivious to anyone around them, they would meet in secret and share what they had to give. When with Ron, Luna was up on cloud nine.

Luna however, was not the only one with a secret and before he died, Harry Potter had approached her and told her-- with more courage than he faced Voldemort with—that he loved her. For that moment in time, she had considered his offering but she told him of herself and Ron and he never again approached her, promising not to tell a soul--in life or death.

Luna often wondered-- against all her own best interests-- that if she had given Harry what he asked of her so fondly, would he have died, instead of being stricken down by the Dark Lord, with no reasons to live? Would he have lived to fight another day with her by his side? It was too late for that by the time Luna had found the truth out. Harry was gone. So was her father.

That summer, Luna spent the first two weeks at the Weasley house. All was fine and quite good, until she came. Luna had been deceived and the second Luna saw his eyes meet hers, she saw a desire well up in Ron's eyes that he had never shown her.

Her heart stopped beating when she saw her Ronald, embrace Hermione Granger in front of her two, lifeless eyes. She remembered how Ginny had laughed at the shocked expression on her face and the words pierced into the very fabric of her soul.

"Didn't you know--they've been a couple for two years now."

Luna had lost her mother, her father and now the one person who she believed she would spend the rest of her life with. She had stared in disbelief and considered telling Hermione right there and then, what she and Ron had been but, how? How could she hurt him so? Even when he had pierced her heart with ice.

Luna had dragged Ginny out into the kitchen and poured out all of what had been going on between herself and Ron. How he had been cheating her. Obviously been with Hermione most of the time whilst they were in the Gryffindor Common Room and she had been in the Ravenclaw.

For a moment, Luna had thought Ginny was going to defend her but to her dismay, her friend began to speak random words that would just not compute in her mind. Finally Luna took in four simple words; 'it's your own fault.'

These words she believed. For whatever foolish reason, she believed them and hearing her only friend shout out such harsh words, was enough to make her throw up over the floor and almost fall in dismay and so, Luna ran.

As soon as the shock of throwing up had relieved itself, she picked her feet from the ground and one in front of the other; they forced her forward with great speed. Heavy and tiresome, yet she continued to go.

Luna did not go back to Hogwarts that year. Sometimes, I wonder if this was her biggest mistake, as how can you heal if you loose everything? You must have something to fall back on, even if it's just a simple life that you share with a dozen cats.

She began to regret decisions that she had made and eventually, Hogwarts forgot about her and no longer bothered to send people looking for her. There is no use searching for a person who doesn't want to be found.

She roamed the countryside; freelance writing for _The Quibbler_ under the name of Maddy Moon, for small amounts of money. That and her magic, kept her alive.

The ministry, although capable of tracking her, didn't seem to bother. She had not been expelled from Hogwarts, so was perfectly legible to use magic. Sometimes she wondered if it would be best to go back-- take her rightful inheritance and apologise to the world but she was sacred. Afraid of how people would react. They didn't like her then-- why should now be different?

Eventually, during the autumn of what would have been after her seventh year, Luna made her way back to where the Burrow was situated. The day had been stormy and the rain had continued to pound against her face but she was determined to climb the hill that over looked the house.

She knew it was ridiculous, stupid in fact but as she reached the top and looked down at the house, she irrupted into a fit of tears.

The rain had continued to fall, leaving her soaked and red. She had promised herself that the day would remain fine and gave herself plenty of time to make the journey but now, she no longer cared what happened to her. She had lost more than her love; she had lost her hope and need for life.

That was when he found her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Change of Patterns**

A young woman of just nineteen years of age, tossed and turned under the blankets that had been tenderly wrapped around her body. Her long, straggly locks of blonde hair lay matted around her face. What would have been, large and bright silver eyes, were now two scrunched up lines and where there would usually have been smiley, red lips, was a pale, lifeless line.

However, she appeared safe and whoever was looking after her, appeared quite well off. The decor of the room was a large giveaway. It was quite a large, airy room-- kept warm by a crackling fire to the left of the bed. There were paintings and tapestries strung about the room and it almost looked as though it was suspended in time.

A man walked into the room, barely a year older than his patient and he walked over to the girl's bed. As he bent over her, holding her shoulders slightly to stop her movement, his black fringe fell in front of his face and he tucked it away behind his ear, revealing a rather faded, almost not visible, scar.

He felt her pulse and peered down at her, sighing and shaking his head. He perhaps was a doctor, although when closely inspecting the way he dealt with her, it's best to confirm that he seemed to have very little idea of what to do.

The man left as quickly as he had arrived, checking a clock on the wall as he left the sleeping girl to her rest. She no longer turned in the bed, in fact she moved very little at all.

Time passed and as the fire died down, a small, mushroom like creature walked into the room. It or he rather, was wearing a T-shirt and shorts. It was quite amusing actually, the way the small creature-- a house elf-- tripped over the far to large clothes.

Eventually, the creature left when he had succeeded with his task of re-lighting the fire so that the room would remain warm. He later returned to light oil burners and once again, poked at the smoldering lumps of charcoal. He left spending no more than a minute in the room.

Sometime later, the raven-haired male returned to the room, a book in his hands. He again, checked the girl in the bed and then retreated to a chair beside her. For a moment, he was disturbed as her head shifted to the side slightly but there was no progress in her ability to awaken.

The man continued to read, until eventually, he fell asleep in his chair. The book he had been reading dropped into his lap, titled, 'Auror Training Theory Two: What To Do when An Angel Falls At Your Feet.' He stirred slightly and the one remaining light burnt out, leaving the room in darkness.

A sudden stream of light awoke the man abruptly and he looked across to see the same creature as the previous night, open the curtains but the actions did not trouble him and he smiled at his little servant as the creature left the room.

The sunlight that was shining into the room reflected his eyes and although sleepy, they shone green and magnificent. Almost like emeralds through the glasses he wore. He ran his fingers through his hair and then peered down at the girl.

He turned away and then abruptly allowed his glance to fall back onto her. For a split second, her eyes opened only for her to instantly shut them again. She brought her hands from under the covers and rubbed at her eyes freely.

As she opened them again, this time allowing them to blink profoundly, she peered up at the bloke standing over her, more than slightly confused. For a split second, she thought that she had died and gone to heaven, for he certainly belonged there.

She rubbed her eyes again. This time not to release the sleep from her lashes but to try and work out if the person standing in front of her, was who she believed him to be. He smiled upon her and she decided that she was, indefinitely dead.

He spoke to her gently. "How are you feeling?"

He didn't sound dead, in fact, quite the opposite. His voice was angelic like and she almost wanted him to speak again. She looked up into his eyes, looking passed the glasses and searching them for an answer.

"Harry?" she asked timidly. He nodded in response and she allowed him to prop her head up against a second pillow. "Am I dead?" she asked meekly.

He smiled and chuckled slightly. "Now," he began, "would you really want that?"

"Are you really here?" she asked stupidly and in response, he touched her cheek for a moment.

"Do I appear real?" he asked.

"I," she stammered, "I saw you die," she finished. "We all did."

He stood straight for a moment and considered her words. The memory made him crinkle his face slightly and he turned his gaze towards the window. She wanted to ask him a million questions but only one made the front of the queue in her mind.

"That is true," he said.

"Then how?" Harry moved across to her bed and sat himself on the edge. It sank slightly and she raised her head to look at him.

"Magic," he said softly. "Magic, Luna and because of you."

She looked across at Harry, slightly confused but it may have bewildered her more if she had not been a witch. It was his final words that confused her—how could she have brought him back? Luna was perfectly aware of what she had been doing over the last year and it did not involve raising the dead.

"I saw them take your body away—Harry, you were dead?" she added questioningly.

He couldn't help a chuckle. "Very much so."

"But, Harry," she exclaimed. "They buried you," Luna mumbled the words slightly and Harry stood up again. As Luna looked across at him, she could see his face screw up, troubled by what she had mentioned. "Oh," a long, awkward silence made Luna try to think of something to say, "so how long have you been here?"

Harry paced beside her bed. "A little less than a year," he mumbled and before she could speak again, he added, "can you get dressed. I mean are you feeling well enough to take a walk with me. I'll explain everything, when you tell me why you ran away," he also decided was worth mentioning.

It was now, that Luna realised that someone had left her in only her underwear. She blushed slightly and wondered if Harry had been the one.

Harry sensed her embarrassment. "It's okay—I wasn't in the room. Madam Pomfrey sorted you out," he said quickly. Luna stared at him blankly. "Didn't I tell you? We're at Hogwarts."

Luna did not speak. She could hardly believe that Harry had brought her back to Hogwarts and a whole new series of questions formed in her mind. She tried hard to think of something sensible to say but every new question she thought of, seemed just as worthless as the previous one.

"Your clothes are in the bathroom," Harry mumbled and turned his back towards her. "It's that door on the right," he pointed in the general direction but did not look.

Luna stumbled out of the bed and took herself into the small bathroom. As he had said, her clothes were in there, hanging over a rather splendid, wooden rail. She spent a minute or two, taking a quick wash and then dressed herself as fast as possible.

She opened the door to the room and no sooner did she poke her head around the frame, was Harry beside her. He offered her a smile and began to lead her towards the way out.

"Why are we at Hogwarts, Harry?" she asked, feeling somewhat foolish.

"I teach Defense against the Dark Arts," he shrugged and it seemed like a very likely explanation. "Remus gave me the job," he muttered.

"Do you mean Remus Lupin?" she asked, slightly nerved and they began to walk down the corridor.

"That very one."

"But—" Luna began but Harry stopped her.

"No—he was in hiding," Harry answered firmly and Luna knew that she was not to ask any more questions on this subject.

"Why did he give you the job—why not Dumbledore?" she added.

"A lot has happened. Luna, other than _The Quibbler_—you barricaded yourself from the wizarding world. You barely even used magic," he saw her stunned face. "I pulled in a couple of favours," he said, before she had even had a chance to ask her question. "You're not an easy witch to find."

"I didn't want to be," Luna replied sullenly.

"Why?"

"Because," she hung her head slightly, she would have to tell him. "Ron," she added feebly.

"Ginny told me about the day you left her house," Harry said quickly.

Luna snapped her eyes on him quickly. "You've spoken with Ginny?"

"Yes—it was because of her that I spent endless hours looking for you," he mumbled. "I dig myself out of my own grave and without a hello, she's all over me, trying to get me out after you because she's still in school," he added crossly.

"I thought she hated me," Luna mumbled as they continued to walk. They reached a door and Harry held it open for her. "Thank you."

"No. She was just shocked. I mean, not even I knew—I would never have believed it," he wasn't sure what he could say that would allow Luna to remain unstressed but be aware of the truth. "There's something that you should know."

They walked into what Luna decided was the staff room. Full of bookcases, cupboards and what looked like extremely comfy seats. He showed her over to a small coffee table and they both sat down. Using his wand, he made to mugs of steaming drinks appear. Coffee for himself and chocolate for Luna.

"I feel awful," Luna mumbled. "Not only for what I did to Ginny but for the trouble I caused you," she didn't look directly at his face.

"On my half—think nothing of it but, Ginny," he said slightly more quietly and Luna interrupted him.

"I'll have to go see her—it's not to late to say sorry," she said and looked at him, he dropped his eyes to his mug, "is it?"

"Luna," Harry wasn't best sure he should tell her, not so soon after her first stressful bout of bed rest. "Ginny is at St. Mugo's."

She turned pale. "Why?" she managed to croak.

"She was staying with Ron and Hermione, well actually, she was watching Hermione so that Ron could get some rest. Unfortunately—she fell asleep," Luna shook her head to say that she didn't understand. "Just after you ran away, Ron and Hermione were renting a small flat," he watched her eyes widen as he said Ron's name, "But—and I don't think we will ever learn why—Hermione gradually went mad," Luna gasped slightly. "Some say it was because of what Ginny told her but others say it was lasted effects from the ministry," he added.

"Poor, Hermione," Luna said but it sounded very unlike she meant it.

"Well, she set fire to the rooms with her wand," he looked as though telling the story was hurting him greatly. "Ginny tried her best to remember the spell that would protect her from the flames but by the time she had and got up to them—they were both dead. Ron because he had not woken and Hermione because she had chosen to."

"And, Ginny?"

"Luckily for her, one of the other wizards in the building—Seamus Finnigan, I believe," he added, "managed to raise the alarm. Unfortunately her spell had not been strong and the fumes from the smoke damaged her insides," he said quickly, "she hasn't woken up since it happened—six weeks ago—which is why I had to find you."

Luna nodded now feeling worse. "And you did."

"I first checked _The Quibbler_—ages ago but all they could do was give me a pile of addresses that," she stopped him.

"Those are supposed to be confidential," she snorted realising the famous Harry Potter could still get what he wanted—especially when he played 'awaken from death.'

"But I thought they would be no good because you were not living anywhere."

"I was. A field."

"Anyway," he continued. "I spent months whilst Ginny was still at school—searching the globe and then summer came. Dumbledore was assassinated and Lupin became Head Master and offered me the job of—"

"Wait—Dumbledore was assassinated?"

"Yes—just before the end of the year. Lucius Malfoy in fact—I killed him myself because of that," Harry almost growled and Luna decided that she wanted no details. "When I realised that it was impossible to find you—I turned back to those letters. One stood out. No address and the name was 'Moon.' Well—I thought it was worth a try," he finished his coffee. "I asked the ministry to trace it and it lead me to you," he finished finally.

"Thank you," she mumbled.

"You're lucky I found you when I did," he stated. "Of course, so much time had passed and I wish I could have found you so much sooner, but," he stopped as she spoke again.

"That doesn't explain how you can be here right now," she mumbled.

"Hermione, truly was the cleverest witch of her time," he said sadly. "Put a spell on me—so that when one girl that I knew broke something," he really wasn't explaining himself, "I could fix it."

"I don't understand," Luna said childishly.

"I'll explain it to you, when," he began, "when I'm ready," he finished and Luna had waited for him to say, 'you're,' not 'I'm.'

She nodded. "Okay," although she really wanted to scream at him until he told her.

"It's Saturday by the way—all the students are out on a trip to Hogsmede. I should warn you that Professor Snape has left the faculty."

"Why is that a problem?" she smiled.

"Because Draco Malfoy took his place."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Awaken My Friend**

Luckily for Luna, the young girl had somehow managed to save herself from any unpleasant confrontations with Draco Malfoy and it was hard to tell whether it was she or Harry, who was most pleased with this result.

I should probably give you a small explanation of what happened between the hours of her awakening and the following Sunday morning. I really wouldn't want to leave you wondering what the reunited couple had got up to and to finalise your questions-- not a lot, really.

After Luna and Harry had finished their drinks, he had taken her for a small walk around the premises, so that she could make note of any of the changes that had been made over the last year.

Other than the departure of Dumbledore and Snape, there was just one more change to the professors in the school. Professor Flitwick, had finally retired and left his post as charms teacher. A middle-aged witch had filled this position, by the name of Vanessa Bones. Luna instantly realised that none of the students in her class would easily have messed around.

Luna had not encountered any students that day—in fact, she didn't really speak to anyone, except Harry. Harry did a lot of speaking though, especially about her. He also had Lupin find her one of the many spare rooms in the castle, which Luna had been slightly disappointed about.

It was a lovely room, however, it made Luna feel like a courtesan—which isn't really something you want to feel like. The room was red and purple, mostly red but everything was dark with very little light and felt slightly claustrophobic. Compared to the field she had previously been living in, it was fit for a princess. The bed was only half as comfortable as Harry's though.

After eating on her lonesome, she had spent the evening alone in this room. Perhaps it was because she had been alone for so long or more to the fact that she had very little to say but Luna had learnt lo live in silence. Not a word escaped her lips that evening and everything she had wanted to say was left unsaid.

And so, she had slept. For someone who had been asleep for so long, you would think that she would have better things to do but she had no intention of fulfilling them. Harry had checked up on her, once or twice but she had just kept her eyes firmly closed.

The next morning arrived and so you see, there really wasn't a lot to tell you. Luna, asleep, was happily dreaming of Heliopaths, when Harry had intentionally pounded his feet across the floor as he ran into her room.

The young girl-- who had been in her sleepy trance-- allowed her back to bolt up in terror as the noise startled her. Luna looked up at Harry, slightly alerted but allowing her heart rate to slow back down to a normal pace.

"Luna—wake up," he shouted energetically.

She raised her eyebrow in response. "I am awake, Harry," she thought about going to sleep again so that he could feel the pleasure of having woken her up.

"Great!" he smiled perfectly. "Get dressed, quickly—you'll never going to believe what's happened!" he jumped at the opportunity to try and make Luna happy once again. "You'll finally get to see each other again—it's perfect."

Luna shook her head slightly, completely perplexed by what Harry was saying. She hoped that this type of a morning call wasn't usual, as it would never do. She waited for Harry to turn his back so that she could get dressed, unfortunately in the same clothes, as she had now had to wear for two days.

Luna then walked across the room and banged loudly on a slightly hollow area of wall. It sprung back and she disappeared inside the separate bathroom for a moment, peaking around occasionally to observe Harry's impatient actions.

A few moments later, Luna was standing in front of Harry who was still sporting what could be an award-winning smile. He waved his hands to usher her forward and she gave him a slightly abrupt glare.

Harry gestured her to his room and ignored Luna's attempted words, as she tried to ask for an explanation. The fire was roaring in his room and he quickly handed her a pot of flow powder, after taking a handful himself.

"Follow me, right?" he held her shoulder for a moment and then stepped into the fireplace. Throwing the powder around himself, he clearly said, "St Mungos."

Luna could think of only one reason for Harry to lead her to the hospital and wasted no time as she rushed into the fireplace, still clutching the powder that would allow her to magically travel to the hospital. Stupidly, she tossed quite an amount of the powder around herself and spoke enthusiastically.

Within a minute, Luna stopped racing down the grates and felt herself being steadied by someone's hand. Expecting it to be Harry, she began to thank him.

"Thanks," Luna then looked up with a slightly confused expression. "Fred?"

The Weasley twin that was in front of her, chuckled slightly. "George, actually," he informed her. "You okay?" he asked, scanning her dimpled eyebrows.

She nodded. "Mmm," she spoke prehistorically.

The second twin—Fred—arrived and Luna took note of their almost identical features. They were the same twins she had grown to adore, just older and slightly more relaxed. They appeared to have got over any dislike towards Luna and mentioned nothing of Ron, which she was grateful for.

"This way—you know what?" George began, as he led Luna towards a hallway to the left. "She's been asking about you since she woke up!" he exclaimed.

"Ginny?" Luna questioned dumbly.

"No, Mantilla," Fred rolled his eyes and looked at the young girl, slightly ambiguously. "She missed you awfully."

Luna didn't know what else to do, other than to nod. They passed several doors until they almost reached the end of the corridor. Standing outside were; Harry, Ginny's parents and her three oldest brothers. She made eye contact with none of the Weasley's.

"Go in, Luna," Mrs. Weasley spoke to her with slight resent. Luna noticed how tired she looked and tried to think of something to say. "Go on in then, dear," she repeated with a more pleasant tone.

Luna realised that all of the people surrounding her, must have already spoken to Ginny and she let her hand rest on the door handle to the room for a moment. Her head was filling up with things that she could say to her friend. Things that she could say and do.

Before she had even had a chance to look, a slightly raspy voice had called her name. Luna looked up and saw Ginny stumble out of the bed. Within seconds, she had her arms wrapped fondly around her friend.

In unison they spoke. "I'm sorry."

"Ginny," Luna mumbled. "You should stay in bed," her eyes only met her friends for a moment. "I mean …"

Ginny attempted a giggle and it was amazing how her face lit up to speak to her friend once more. "I've been on that lump for long enough," she smiled. "I missed you, Lu. I'm so sorry—I shouldn't have said—"

"—No," Luna interrupted her. "I shouldn't have allowed it all to affect me so. It was silly. I'm here now and I promise I won't leave again," she said softly. "I promise."

"Oh, Luna—it's awful what's happened. Ron and Hermione, they died and I would have to if it hadn't been for Seamus. I was so lucky," she stammered, her voice trembling.

"I know," Luna blinked simultaneously, not knowing what else to say.

"Harry told me some stuff," Ginny's eyes rolled down slightly and she sat back down on the bed, pulling Luna's arm slightly so that she joined her. "Let's not speak about it. Not yet anyway," she almost pleaded and Luna wondered why nobody ever wanted to talk about things at the time.

"All right," she agreed, nodding her head in response.

"The doctors say that I can't leave tonight but you will stay with me, won't you?" Ginny asked. "You will stay with me, Luna."

Luna looked towards the door somewhat nervously; Harry was standing there and had obviously been listening. He nodded slightly, his glasses slipping down his nose as his head shook. He quickly corrected their position and Luna smiled. Yep, she smiled.

"Surely you wouldn't prefer for your mum or—"

"—No, Luna. You," she answered.

It wasn't a hard thing for Luna to do. All she did was sit beside her bed and talk to her friend about previous occurrences that had happened whilst they had been absent from each other that previous year. Hearing Luna's voice was enough to satisfy Ginny's loneliness and the two girls almost felt as though they were back at Hogwarts.

Luna remained with her friend that night and the Weasley's left with very little fuss. Harry informed them that he would be back tomorrow morning before his lessons began, to speak with them but he had business that needed to be taken care of.

Despite the conditions and the reasons for being there, that Sunday day, was perhaps one of the most happy moments of Luna's life and she was sure that she would never forget it and remember it word by word, action by action.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Propositions**

Luna had slept very uncomfortably, in a stiff hospital chair that previous night. She felt that it was her duty as a friend, to stay with the unwell Ginny and comfort her in any way necessary.

She had awoken from her unpleasant sleep just minutes ago and was now staring at her friend in a worried yet relieved manor. Luna ran her hand through her glossy, blonde hair and stared at the door to the hospital room, as the handle twisted slightly.

Expecting the arrival to be Harry—as he had promised to return in the morning the previous night—Luna walked to the door and opened it. She stood back for a moment, trying to work out who was standing in front of her.

The man in front of her, was certainly not Harry Potter but he must have been roughly the same age. She knew him, yet Luna just couldn't place her finger on who he was. There was just something so familiar about his bushy eyebrows and thick brown hair.

The male blinked for a moment as Luna was blocking his view. His right hand was behind his back and it stayed there, making Luna nervous. "I'm sorry," he said in perfect Irish, "I must have the wrong room."

The bloke turned and Luna was grateful to see that all he had behind his back, was a beautiful arrangement of golden flowers. "Seamus?" Luna said after a moment.

He turned back to face her. "I," he looked at her confusedly. "Lovegood?" he said, obviously seeing a striking resemblance to her.

"Yes, Luna," she said bluntly, not really expecting him to remember her, "I, I," she stammered, "thank you—for helping Ginny," her eyes lowered timidly and he wondered into the room.

Luna moved out of his way and he smiled. "It was nothing. Actually," he handed Luna the flowers, "I'd really appreciate if you could give these to her," his eyes moved from Luna to Ginny, "I heard she had woken up and thought she may like these," he added.

"That's really thoughtful," Luna said, smelling the flowers, "I'll tell her you came to visit, I'm sure she'll be pleased to know," she wiped her eye for a moment.

"Well, I must be off," Luna couldn't help but feel adoration for him. "It was nice to see you, Luna—everyone thought you were dead," he added, leaving without hearing another word from Luna.

Luna watched him leave. She couldn't believe what his parting words had been. How could anyone have believed her dead? True, she hadn't been in contact with anyone for some time but dead?

Luna gently rested the golden flowers against the wall beside Ginny's bed. Amazed that her friend had not woken up because of the disturbances, Luna sat back down in the undesirable chair that she had slept in.

Luna heard someone else at the door and feeling that it was Harry for sure this time, she said innocently, "about time!"

However, Luna felt her cheeks redden, as somebody who certainly wasn't Harry, stumbled into the room. He had mousy hair, an absent expression—very much similar to her own—and pale eyes. In his hand, he too had a bunch of flowers, obviously picked from his grans garden.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, "I didn't mean to come so late—I wanted to come before, honestly," he finished.

"Neville," Luna couldn't help being fond of this boy, they had always been rather good friends, "I'm so honestly sorry. I thought you were somebody else."

Neville rested the flowers beside the others and they looked rather forlorn. He didn't seem to be bothered and gave Luna a quick, friendly kiss on the cheek.

"Don't worry," he sighed, "I wish you'd gone back to Hogwarts or at least come and told me you were alive," he smiled lopsidedly, "we all missed you," Luna bowed her head, sensing that she had done wrong. "Never mind. Who are those from, by the way?" Neville asked, gesturing to the golden flowers.

"Seamus," Luna informed him feebly, "you just missed him."

"What a shame," Neville replied bluntly, his tone of voice suggesting that he wasn't in the least bit disappointed. "Well. I'm sorry that Ginny's not awake. I so much wanted to talk to her. Harry's down at reception, so he'll be up in a minute."

As Neville left, Luna shouted, "Bye, Neville—we'll talk soon," it was more hopeful than anything.

Just as Neville had said, Harry arrived shortly after his departure, giving Luna no time to sit or think about what he had said. She watched as he walked into the room, head high and sporting a wonderful smile.

"How are you?" Harry said, wasting no time for introductions, he obviously wanted a quick report.

"A bit stiff," Luna informed her friend.

Harry's eyes closed for a moment and Luna was desperate to know what had been going through his mind. He stared at the kind floral gestures that Neville and Seamus had brought and then turned back to Luna.

"Well," he looked as though he was suspended in thought, "I think you'll loosen up after what I have to tell you," he said.

"Just as long as it's not about Ron," she praised herself for saying his name without flinching and Harry seemed to see it as a milestone as well.

"I think you'll like this news then," Harry began and Luna stared at him curiously, wondering if Harry was about to propose to her. That would be weird, "I have a proposition for you," he began and Luna's eyes fell out of focus for a moment, "from Lupin," that was weirder. Why on earth would Remus Lupin want to marry her?

Speaking croakily, Luna muttered, "okay."

"He and Tonks will be getting married shortly," Luna sighed, "yes, I know, sweet," Harry said with a smile, although weird would have much suited the look on his face, "and he needs to find someone to fill the position of Divination teacher," the raven-haired wonder continued. "I come here to offer you that position," Harry finalised.

"Oh—but what about Professor Trelawney and—"

"Professor Trelawney," Harry decided not to confuse her with first names, "has decided to leave the faculty due to ill health," he didn't seem too troubled but Luna looked devastated, she had always liked her—for most of the time, anyway. "It was she who recommended you."

"I missed a year of school, Harry," Luna said quietly, "it wouldn't be right."

"Luna. You were top of your class. She said that you could have taken the exam a year early and still come out with top grades," Harry looked desperate, "just think about it, will you?"

"Okay."

Harry left and Luna turned to watch Ginny. Either that girl could sleep through anything or her young Weasley friend was dead. Luna, still thinking about what Harry had said, walked over to her friend and poked her in the cheek slightly.

"Ouch," Ginny bolted up quickly, her eyes had been shut and Luna had been sure she was a sleep.

"Were you awake that whole time?"

A guilty look spread across Ginny's face. "Maybe." Luna smiled and Ginny swung her legs over the bed. "You know what? Those medic-witches work wonders. I feel so much better."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Luna said, still not smiling but the tone of her voice was enough to satisfy.

"I should be able to leave later. Can we go shopping?" Ginny asked.

What was with her friend? She was as cheerful as if nothing had ever happened. She was talking about shopping, after spending six weeks asleep. Luna had to admire her courage and she did need some new clothes.

"All right," she said sensitively. "I guess we need to talk about some things," she finished but Ginny seemed to have taken away her focus from Luna.

"Say," Ginny said suddenly, "who are these from?" she was smelling both of the bunches of flowers. "Harry?"

"Seamus and Neville," Luna corrected her friend.

"Really," Ginny's voice sounded cunning and Luna had realised that it had not been a question. She wanted to laugh but her mouth wouldn't let her.

Luna nodded. "Why would I lie?" she wondered if Ginny could think of three reasons but gave her friend no time to contemplate the question. "I'm going to go for a walk—give you some privacy," Luna added.

As Luna said goodbye to her friend unwillingly, she couldn't help thinking about Harry. Not the fact that he had offered her a position teaching at Hogwarts—she had assured herself Remus had felt it better coming from a friend—but that she had thought he was going to ask her to marry him, which was silly really, as they had never even been a couple. It must have been all the medication fumes in the air.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Acceptance of Fate**

Now that Luna looked back on what Harry had said, she couldn't believe that she had ever thought that Remus would want to marry her. She had passed her assumptions onto Ginny, who seemed to take Luna's honesty as though it had been one big joke.

It was now the afternoon and both Luna and Ginny were wondering around the nearly empty streets of Diagon Alley. As they walked past the clouded windows of a quill shop, Luna noticed how small both she and Ginny actually were. Ginny had obviously not had the chance to eat and she had not really had the money to feed herself.

They were both unusually silent. Considering they had not been able to speak for so long, neither of them really had much to say. Ginny was holding a large black, paper-handled bag and in her right pocket, Luna could see the faint outline of her wand. Luna's had brushed against her own pocket, comforted by her own magical instrument.

Ginny stopped in her tracks and Luna followed her gaze. They were standing in front of Ginny's older brothers joke shop. The girl smiled meekly to herself and Luna attempted an equal smile.

"You don't mind if we go in and see my brothers, do you?" she asked, boldly yet timidly.

"Why would I mind?" Luna asked suddenly. "I think they've forgiven me now," she added.

Ginny stumbled suddenly. "Forgiven you?" she repeated, "Luna, whatever you think they thought, must have been in your head. We were terrified when you left and I admit I believed it was my fault," Luna remained silent, "but if we'd have thought—it wasn't your fault," Ginny mumbled, "I'm sorry you felt that way. If it was anyone's fault, it was his self's," Luna flinched but nodded at the same time.

As they stepped through the door to the joke shop, instead of a bell jingling above the door, the door made a strange farting noise as it closed behind them. There was a shuffling of feet from behind the counter and one of the Weasley twins pretended to be walking up from a cellar. As soon as he saw his sister, he bolted upwards.

"George!" Ginny exclaimed as her brother gave him a sibling hug, "where's Fred? Luna had no idea how she could tell her twin brothers apart.

"Oh, he's having the afternoon off," her brother flashed Luna a quick smile and she could not help but return it, "he's been doing that a lot recently, now that I think about it. Either of you two need a job?" he spontaneously asked them.

Luna's eyes flickered for a moment. She did need a job but she had already been offered one. Ginny coughed slightly, "you know I really could do with something whilst I'm training," Luna was about to question Ginny but she had no chance to do so, "and Luna's already nicely settled in at Hogwarts …"

"Oh, well done, Luna—what will you be teaching?" George asked her kindly, a slight tingle of worry in his voice, "you do know that all our products are safe and completely pass all our standards.

Luna chuckled. "I haven't said yes yet," Ginny seemed extremely pleased to see her smile, "divination," she added though.

George nodded and Luna saw little threat. "So, Ginny, would you be interested in working in the family business?" he asked his youngest sibling.

"Why not," she stated rather than asked. "I could do with the coins," Luna knew perfectly well that her brothers would probably give her anything that she needed if she was in desperation.

"I'll see you here tomorrow morning at nine sharp!" he stated, just as the door let out another farting noise, "hula, Fred."

"Not now, thanks," he informed his brother, "I'm a bit tired," he winked at his sister and Luna, who looked at him in mock surprise.

"Doing what, exactly?"

There was never a reply. "Ginny is going to join us and work here for a while," George informed his brother, "seeing as you keep disrupting your work hours for mysterious means."

Fred smiled. "How wonderful," he informed his brother, "I am pleased," he seemed flustered as someone walked past the shop for what Luna noted to be the third time.

"We'd best be going," Ginny whispered into Luna's ear, "I'll see you tomorrow, Fred, George," she said, smiling unrealistically.

As Luna and Ginny left the shop, Ginny appeared to have a small bounce in her steps. Luna couldn't help but feel slightly happy but there was a strange weight in the pit of her stomach that pulled her down.

They wondered over to the ice-cream parlour and sat themselves inside. It seemed so strange to be there, when there were so few people—none of which who were students of Hogwarts—ordering the luscious milk deserts and enjoying themselves.

About five minutes later, the two girls were sharing a rather large banana ice-cream in a crystalline bowl that was probably bigger than both of their heads put together. Luna was spooning some cream into her mouth whereas Ginny was sucking on a small piece of dried banana.

"So. Have you decided yet?" Ginny asked Luna as she sucked on the end of her glittering spoon.

"About Hogwarts?" Luna asked densely.

"No," Luna had the feeling that Ginny had stopped herself from saying something that would have hurt them both, "yes." Luna closed her eyes for a moment and her tongue felt numb.

"Well?"

"Yes, I have," Luna finalised, "I've decided to go and work at Hogwarts. Make up for lost time," she added but silently under her breath, she said, "if that is possible."

Ginny smiled purely. "I am pleased—I doubt that you'll regret it. You best tell them soon though, I'm not sure how long Harry will—I mean Remus, will wait."

Luna was about to speak but someone cleared their throat from behind their chairs. "He'd probably wait for ever," the person said, speaking to neither of the girls in particular.

"How long have you been here?" Luna asked, slightly secluded.

"Since I got out of my class about twenty seconds ago," he smiled and Luna tried to work out how many of their words he had heard, "I must say, I'm very pleased that you have decided to join us. I'm pleased nobody put you off."

Harry wondered over to a small stand where there were several spare spoons and other utensils stacked messily. He selected a yellow one and helped himself to a small taste of the girls' food. There they all remained in a slight break of bliss, until the café declared its closure.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: The Weekend Before

Luna pulled her head backwards and rested it against the penal of the backboard of the bed. She stared up at the swirl-effect ceiling and pulled away from her blissful dreamland, imagining the force of reality. Her stress levels were high, too high for a Sunday and she was beginning to wonder if she had to get up at all.

The covers of her bed were warm and welcoming and all she wanted to do, was to burrow deeper inside of them and sleep the moths way in a place where there was no bad feelings or pain. Her bed seemed safe and she began to fall asleep until the bottom of her bed sunk downwards.

She bolted upwards and her eyes jumped forwards. Luna sighed slightly and her bones relaxed. "Good morning, Harry," she smiled, wondering whether he was allowed to just wonder into her room like this.

Dobby appeared from behind the bed and quietly placed a breakfast tray on the table beside her. She thanked him with a smile and a nod of her head and then turned her attention back to Harry, his eyes looked sad and slightly dimmed.

"How are you this morning?" he asked her kindly, still concerned about her previous adventures.

Luna took a Danish pastry from the tray Dobby had placed beside her and watched as the House Elf left. "I'm perfect, thank you," she began to nibble on the pastry and tried not to look him in the eyes.

To her surprise, Harry burst out laughing. "No you're not," he reached down and took a pastry of his own, "I can read your face as clear as I can see daylight," Luna wanted to take his glasses off, "you're as nervous about tomorrow as can be!"

Luna poured herself a drink of water. "All right," she muttered honestly, "I am nervous about tomorrow," she continued, "but you would be too," she stated in her defence.

Harry nodded. "And I was—which is why," he continued quickly, "I have arranged for us and a couple of friends to have a meal at The Three Broomsticks for lunch," she looked at Harry, curiosity and appreciation in her eyes, "which is in about two hours," he said, staring down at a wristwatch.

She put the second half of the Danish back onto the tray. "I was tired," she blinked, speaking almost in a mater-of-fact tone.

Harry stood up. "I gathered that," he smiled again and Luna wondered if he would win a prize for it, "I'll be back then to pick you up."

Harry waltzed out of the room and Luna suddenly wondered whether Harry thought that he was taking her on a date. She made a mental not to herself that it was just a friendly gesture and pulled herself out of the bed.

Luna disappeared into the bathroom, which conveniently had a clothes closet attached to it and was almost in there for the whole designated time. She liked to soak herself when she had a bath and recently, they were more pleasurable than anything she could imagine.

At five to twelve, she pulled herself around the bathroom door in a very cat-like manner and looked at herself in the mirror on her wall. She was wearing black trousers and a purple top; her hair was layered with a plait over the top of crinkled hair. She was pleased with herself and as she turned around, there came a knock at her door.

"Umm, come in?" she said loudly, yet timidly.

The door opened and Luna was pleased to see a casually dressed Harry. "Are you ready?" he asked kindly.

"Oh, yes," she picked up a bag from her dresser.

"You won't need that," he pointed to the bag and she blinked at him, "I promise," he added and Luna lowered it back onto the table.

"Okay," she said quietly, "are we walking down to the town?" she asked.

Harry shook his head and began to lead her out of the room. "No, we're just going to travel by the network," Luna gulped and he paused briefly, "what's wrong," he asked, a tone of worry present in his voice.

"Nothing," she said and repeated it once again under her breath.

Luna followed Harry until they reached his office and neither of them really said a word to each other. Luna hated the flow network and had only ever used it twice; the night before her mother had died and the other day when only the thought of Ginny had stopped her from worrying. A sudden wave of bad memories swept across her for a moment but she passed them away.

Harry gestured for her to go first and gave her the same container that they had used the other day. He nodded his head for her to go first and somehow, she was sure that he would follow.

Luna took a pinch of the powder and blew it around herself like fairy dust. "The Three Broomsticks," she muttered and felt the flames pull her away.

Luna steadied herself as she fell through the grate in the pub. A chorus of excited voices invaded her ears and as she pulled herself up, she could see a small gathering of her friends. She stepped forwards and Harry came through the grate less than a second later.

Harry put his hand on Luna's shoulder and she looked at the other people in the room; Madam Rosmerta was tottering about and putting plates and drinks on a long table and a barmaid was walking around after her, shooting Seamus a rather seductive stare.

Ginny gave both Harry and Luna a hug and Neville raised his drink into the air. Colin Creevey was waving cheerfully, along with Samantha Owen, his Hufflepuff girlfriend from the same year. Jessica Powter and Michael Firth, two Ravenclaws she had been friendly with were there, as well as Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott.

Luna greeted them all and smiled happily, as they all wished her good luck with her new job. Although she was surprised to see some of their faces, she couldn't have been more delighted and as the party continued into the late hours of the afternoon and even passed into the dark hours of the night, she knew that she had friends and people who wanted to be with her and that meant the world.


End file.
